Yup. I finally completed relocating all of my original clip art, icons & desktop wallpaper to different servers and updated all the affected posts on this blog. Now there will be no interruption in the accessibility of those files AND the loading time for viewing my blog should be much faster. While it was a big and tedious job involving a few hundred files and over a hundred posts, I suppose that my enthusiasm (as denoted by this post’s title) is a bit pathetic considering the fairly trivial nature of this accomplishment in the vast scheme of the universe, but if there is one thing I’ve learned in my life, it is the importance of finding as much pleasure in the little steps and small achievements as I would on reaching my most important goals. None of us can count on being as capable as we are today (to whatever degree that is), much less have any guarantee we’ll even be alive tomorrow. The odds I face are substantially lower than average, so I’ve spent a lot of time over the years (and especially over the last few months) trying to convince myself how important it is to be pleased with what I CAN do and be proud of myself for doing whatever I realistically COULD do towards reaching my ideals. That’s a tall order to ask of one who has always had high expectations and standards for herself.

Being my toughest critic has largely served me well during my first 57 years as it has motivated me to work as hard and as smart as I could to constantly improve my skills and my usefulness to others. While I certainly appreciate the complements and reliance on my ability to deliver bestowed on me by so many others, I’ve never been able to get away from the feeling that I should have done more and done it better (whatever “it” was). By some theories, such perfectionism is a good thing where it spurs one on to grow and become the best they can be as a person and to reach the pinnacle of their abilities. The downside arises when you’re too slow (or fail altogether) to recognize when you’ve already reached the limits of your abilities, whether due to limitations within you or due to external factors outside of your control. The problems such lack of recognition poses includes the inability to enjoy or take pride in whatever you have accomplished, the stress and frustration of continuing to strive for a goal that, through no fault of your own, will always be out of your reach; and the loss of opportunity to ever feel completely at peace that comes from knowing you did your best. I actually didn’t realize I had this problem until very recently because I had always considered myself to have a fairly well-balanced ego; but what happened was a resistance to recognizing that my seemingly infinite ability to find ways to overcome adversity (both internal and external) is in fact, not so limitless.

While I have surprised (pleasantly) my physicians by having beaten the odds of surviving much longer than expected given all the complications of dealing with the lethal combination of multiple serious, life-threatening diseases and conditions, I have hardly come through this all unscathed. I thought that by having a positive attitude and stubbornly telling myself that I “refuse to die” that I could not only cheat death but somehow avoid the physical and emotional suffering that’s associated with those diseases and conditions as well. In the past, that attitude has made a huge and positive difference in my life in overcoming many physical disabilities and tremendous external adversity. For instance, as a result of having served as a “guinea pig” to early experimentation with brainwave biofeedback forty years ago, I learned to be able to control my brain and body to the extent that I could prevent or stop my epileptic seizures from developing past the “aura” stage almost 100% of the time; learned to be able to stop and restart my heart at will; and could self-hypnotize myself deeply enough to undergo surgery to remove lumps in my breasts and even a root canal without any anesthetic. So I had come to expect that there was nothing in the world I couldn’t overcome. But the years of exerting such extreme efforts and the piling on of one disease or condition on top of another over and over again, and the years of being subjected to the intense emotional stress of 12-year long lawsuit with someone I should have been able to trust and turn to for compassion and help, finally took their toll on me over this last year. It wasn’t until that lawsuit reached yet another brick wall in November 2011 that I realized I no longer had the strength or energy to continue my pursuit of justice, that I finally realized that there simply are things outside of my control no matter how hard and earnest my efforts and no matter how reasonable, fair, or “right” my goals may be. Sometimes, a positive attitude just isn’t enough and sometimes the bad guys “win”.

I’d like to still believe that somewhere along the line G-d ensures that justice will be done and no undeserved pain, suffering, or early death will have been in vain, but I am still working on accepting the fact that I will likely never know if such belief is merely the dream of a fool. Part of that effort is learning not to be so hard on myself and to learn to enjoy even the smallest accomplishment all on its’ own and not taking it for granted or judging it as a failure for being still short of my expectations. I am trying my best to be satisfied with myself for having tried, and for doing whatever is the best I can realistically do at any particular time. In one sense, this requires lowering my expectations of myself, and I am trying to learn not to see that as a failure or to feel guilty that I could not do any better. I’ve never applied such stringent standards to my expectations from others and so just need to be able to be as forgiving and supportive towards myself. That’s somewhat of a culture shock and requires “un-learning” a lifetime of beliefs. It is this revelation and struggle that has lead me to look deeper into the lessons I can take from Buddhist, Taoist and Native American philosophies, as they strike me as being the least influenced by the material world and the most in touch with the unvarnished, true nature of man. I’ll be writing more about my progress in posts to come.

Back to the mundane: Here’s the list of the last group of posts that I have updated, followed by a fresh batch of freebies and some of the latest of my designs at IconDoIt – The Store.

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

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WHAT’S NEW ON ZAZZLE

My Wild Irish Rose
This St. Patrick’s Day card featuring IconDoIt’s original rendering of a richly textured-looking red, red rose against an antique moss-toned wall is really quite special in its’ beauty and message. The real St. Patrick was more about love than drinking green beer so we believe his day is as perfect a time as any to tell her you love her. And since she won’t be expecting a card of this nature on March 17, it will be far more meaningful and just might earn you that magical kiss you’ll never forget!

Truth in Action (iPad Case)
For the consumate legal professional, this hard-shell iPad case features IconDoIt’s original artwork of the Scales of Justice with Benjamin Disraeli’s iconic quote: “Justice is Truth in Action” or swap it out for your own logo. And don’t forget to personalize the text!

Themis Spiral Notebook
Great spiral notebook for the law student, lawyer, judge, or for those who love justice and have extraordinarily good taste! 😉 Cover design is an Art Deco inspired original by IconDoIt.

Just a “heads-up” about three more of my older posts that I finished updating tonight. As mentioned in my last post, these updates may have some icons or clip-art that was not in the original post, so you might want to check them out. List of those posts with links are below. And as the December holidays rapidly approach, on my Freebie menu for tonight (this morning?) I’ve pulled out a few Christmas-themed images I originally created somewhere between 2004-2008. Enjoy!

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

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WHAT’S NEW ON ZAZZLE

Dragon In The New Year T-ShirtThis black t-shirt is AWESOME with IconDoIt’s original design in honor of Chinese New Year (starts Jan. 23, 2012). For this “Year of the Dragon” there’s a golden dragon and the Chinese characters which symbolize the word “dragon”, all set off by a deep, warm red background. Other styles & colors available for the guys, ladies & kids. You might also like our Coordinating Spiral Notebook!

Be a Ballerina (Blonde) photo sculptureWhat Fun! For the many little (or big!) girl who wants to be a ballerina or fantasizes what she’d look like as one, now’s her chance with IconDoIt’s cool new ballerina design and your uploaded picture, this personalized photo sculpture will be met with squeals of delight. Shown is 8×10, you can go smaller or as large as 24″x36″! Also see our Matching Shirts!

Monkey Face – Boy 3D photo sculptureMy nephew, Bryan, is holding the place for a photo of your little monkey’s face in this fun 3D stand-up Monkey photo sculpture. Makes a cute gift for new parents or for a toddler’s birthday – or use a photo of your brother for his 50th! (you can never be too old to monkey around!) Best results with a digital photo that is at minimum, 300 ppi. (And for the girls, check out Monkey Face – Girl!)

There are as many reasons why people may choose to write a blog as there are bloggers. There is no right or wrong reason and readers have the complete freedom to come and go as they please based upon whether a blogger has something to say or offer that is meaningful, entertaining or useful to the reader or not. In my own case, my initial purpose in starting this blog was have a forum to share my original icons and clipart in an effort to give back to a community that had always been very generous with their own knowledge and talents. Secondarily, I wanted to simply share some of my own personal experiences, things I’ve learned, and questions I repeatedly find myself pondering, in the hopes that I might find there are kindred souls out there who can relate to my views and either gain some useful insight that might help them and/or who can impart some differing viewpoint that I can learn from. Although I wish there would be more discussion between more people in the comment sections, I believe that I’ve achieved exactly what I set out to do and cherish this opportunity and the readers who’ve made it so rewarding. I love you guys! 😉

What brings those thoughts to my mind on this particular day, is that I am critically aware of the fact that over the last year, I have been increasingly lax in publishing new posts and that too many of the posts I have written reflect my anguish over circumstances that I’ve not been at liberty to reveal adequate details about so that anyone who only knows me by my posts could have any idea at all what I’ve been so upset about. Between my inability to be specific and my simultaneous struggles due to my declining health, I’m afraid that I have not continued to uphold my commitment to providing uplifting, interesting text to accompany the freebie artwork that follows it. I expect better from myself, even if no one else does, and so have been trying to figure out how to overcome this rut.

One of the serendipities to doing research on a wide variety of subjects in order to find inspiration for my artwork or to help me describe my creations that are offered for sale on my zazzle websites, is that I am constantly being exposed to ideas that send me in an entirely different direction and enrich my knowledge, imagination and understanding in ways I could never have anticipated. A good example of that came up over the last 2 days, when I was trying to discover the identity of a particular woman in a photograph taken by a very talented photograph during the heyday of Art Nouveau but which I suspect was a private portrait contracted for by the woman or her family’s private enjoyment and not part of any commercial intention. In the course of that research, I ended up at a great webpage with a huge list of quotations. Of particular interest to me was the very large section of quotes from artists representing a wide range of disciplines (painting, sculpture, music, dance, architecture, writing, etc.) who lived anywhere from the time of Aristotle to the present, trying to describe what makes artists different from non-artists, what is necessary for an artist to produce their art, and why art is so important to mankind despite the fact that it isn’t listed on the FDA’s chart of our daily nutritional requirements nor specifically called out in Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”.

While fascinating all on it’s own, I ended up gaining some valuable insight into why I have been finding my ability to write more of the type of blog postings I’d like to that has been so hampered as of late. I also realized that the same reasoning explains why I have almost completely withdrawn from personal interaction with family and friends whose love and support and camaraderie I have always been privileged to share and take such great pleasure in. It all simply comes down to the fact that Of Course! I haven’t had a free and uncluttered mind that is so crucial to creativity, because all of my time, energy, emotions, and thought processes have been so weighted down with trying to make sense of a nonsensical situation; expecting loyalty, honesty, logic or compassion from people whom I had no reasonable expectation of them being capable of those traits much less inclined to exercise them in a way beneficial to me; and naively relying on the belief that our judicial system was about ensuring our laws and their own court orders are enforced consistently and justly as opposed to existing to simply quell any discord that inconveniences the system and achieving that aim in whatever manner deemed most efficient and effective without due regard to the concept of fairness or justice. Silly me!

SO with that mystery revealed, I find myself forced to finally recognize the unpleasant reality that our system is irrevocably flawed and broken and there is apparently nothing I can do about it. I am left with being expected to stoically stand silent to yet another slap in the face while the truly guilty party not only walks away relatively scot-free and inexplicably “exonerated” but having to suffer the further insult, harm and injustice of having my good name and honor publicly besmirched based upon another’s lies and the system’s indifference. I am desperately trying now to integrate that reality with my personal view that if ethics and morality have no place in our courtrooms, then there really is no hope for America, no hope for mankind, and no basis for me to even want to live in such a world. And this is coming from one who has always felt like and been known for being the supreme optimist, always believing in the best of mankind, always believing I could help make a difference in this world that would somehow leave it a better place, and who believed that “The Truth will set you free!” was an inviolate promise from G-d and not a cheesy, commercial slogan.

As I stand today (figuratively since I remain confined to bed) I have no idea how I will be able to go forward and resume the life I had before this 12+ year trauma, or at least resume the faith, optimism, and ability to enjoy life as I had before. All I know for sure is that I simply refuse to allow my spirit to be so thoroughly trashed by others that I am no longer able to be myself. SOMEHOW, I will not only survive, but I will thrive once again. And that’s a promise!!

BTW, if you’re interested in the apparent disconnect between our justice system and morality, the Duennes& Russell blog has a great post entitled “Everything Has to Do With Morality” that’s written from the point of view of a current law student who is a deeply committed Christian. Very thought provoking.

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

So much has been going on in my life lately that you’d think would serve as good fodder for thought, writing, and posting. I’ve got the thought part down pat, but continue to be overwhelmed and tongue-tied. While I know that a big part of what’s been getting in my way is directly related to how the constant and excruciating stress of my legal situation is affecting my health and my psyche and I’m just praying that once that obstacle is resolved for good, that my ability to think creatively and organize my thoughts will return. It’s curious how this affects only my verbal and writing skills but not my art. At the same time, it also is in keeping with my feeling that someone – or something – else is guiding my hand when it’s on my mouse, as I (almost) NEVER think about what I’m going to create either before or while “painting” something on my computer. It just simply comes out and I’m just as surprised as anyone when I see the result. Have any of you experienced that when you doing something creative?

This posting will be short but I did want to share with you some Good News for a change. In a not surprising move, the Florida Supreme Court issued their ruling declining to accept the discretionary jurisdiction that my adversary had sought to overturn the appellate court order that had been in my favor. (YAY! …Once again, my appellate attorney, Robin Bresky, Esq., rocks!) The case still looms in the lower court, where it had been remanded to decide the amount that my adversary must pay. Tomorrow morning we’ve got a motion hearing and a status conference, and so in keeping with my past practice, I’m serving up a fresh group of original legal icons for your pleasure.

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered in the “Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day” section are free for your personal use, subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for Terms of Use) For commercial or any other use, please contact me for directly.

Oh Nooooo! Not Again! – Well, it’s actually not “again” but rather “still”. Same case – new phase, as the legal process drags on and on… But still praying that soonit will finally be really over. As my regular readers may recall, the last time I posted on this topic, I had won on my opposition to my adversary’s appeal and won on my cross-appeal, and won on my objection to my adversary’s attempt to have the appellate, but rather than accept her defeat with some measure of professionalism, dignity and grace, my adversary filed a motion to have her appeal reviewed by Florida’s State Supreme Court. That was way back in October 2010 and to date, there has been no word from the Florida Supremes as to whether or not they will even accept the case. I’ve been told that could take as long as 2 years just to find that out, at which point if they do accept the case (a long shot at best) only then will it be time to prepare and file briefs on the merits of the issues before that court.

In the meantime, no “stay” on the 4DCA’s mandate has been granted by that appellate court, which means that once I file a motion detailing all of the legal fees and costs I’ve had to pay as well as providing argument and legal support for the additional sanctions that I’ve asked for, the trial court (Broward County’s infamous 17th Circuit) is required to hold a hearing to determine the $$ amount that my adversary must pay me and issue a final judgment accordingly. The good news is that my attorneys filed that motion yesterday! So progress is being made, slowly but surely, and I continue to pray and have faith that justice will prevail.

In keeping with the theme of the above post, tonight’s serving of free clip art, are a variety of law-oriented images I created as Part II of my “Brass Balz” series. Enjoy!

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

WHAT’S NEW ON ZAZZLE

Criminal Law (iPad Case) Whether you’re a prosecutor, criminal defender, or just a Law & Order fan, this original tongue-in-cheek original design in subdued shades of grey on black for your iPad case will make your day. Customize with your name. More gifts & accessories for lawyers can be found at:zazzle.com/IconDoIt*

Quilt ‘n Glass Mogen David (card)For Passover, Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitvah or anytime, the rich and beautiful original artwork on this greeting card will garner attention and appreciation. Customizable text inside. More Judaica themed cards, gifts and accessories can be found at:zazzle.com/IconDoIt*

Easter Dawn (card)Gloriously bold, original design in jewel-toned colors on this Easter Card are a great example of why the works of artist Leslie Sigal Javorek are already becoming collectibles. More Easter cards and gifts can be found at:zazzle.com/IconDoIt*

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Please note that this post, as all others, represents purely my personal intellectual opinions and emotional feelings, and are not to be construed as anything more. As they say on “COPS”“All parties are innocent until proven guilty.” Since this case is still active, the final judgment of the justices has yet to be determined, but their ruling will be based on the official case records, which by law are available to the public (only certain of those documents are available online. For all others (transcripts, pleadings, etc.) you can only view them in person at the Florida 17th Circuiit Court in Broward County, Florida.

FREE CLIP ART / ICONS OF THE DAY The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

For those of you who’ve been following my blog and my long, long wait for a ruling from the court, I can now say that the light at the end of the tunnel is finally in view! Yesterday, the Florida 4DCA finally posted their opinion on my case. The good news is that they denied my adversary’s appeal of the trial court’s order from 2008. The great news is that they granted my appeal, remanded the question about “how much” my adversary must pay me for attorneys fees and costs, and also paved the way for the Trial Court to be able to consider the question of breach of contract, damages and unjust enrichment. So while it’s not completely over yet, as my son said,

“It’s the beginning of the end.”

The opinion will not be considered “final” (or as they call it in Florida, a “Mandate” for 15 days in order to give the parties an opportunity to request either clarification or reconsideration. But for those of you who are interested, you can download the Court’s opinion in .pdf form here: Carlin v. Javorek. The opinion only addresses the issues that were addressed in the order on appeal so it’s not really very informative as far as what I consider to be the “real” issues which brought about this case in the first place. But that’s okay because, as I said above, they not only did not slam the door shut on those issues, they left it wide open with a sign above it saying “Enter”.

Because of the nature of the case where certain issues remain to be resolved, I do not want to unfairly influence either the court, potential jurors, nor be in a position where I could actually be held liable for slander or libel (vs. unreasonably be accused of it) despite the fact that the truth is always a strong defense against such charges. So I hope y’all will understand if I don’t respond to any question for more details on those unresolved issues at this time.

I owe a huge hug and Thanks to my appellate attorney, Robin Bresky, without who’s understanding of what was really at stake in this case, hard work in researching the law and fussing over the wording to get it just right, and kind patience and understanding for what I have been personally going through. I could not have gotten through this without her and heartily recommend her services to anyone and everyone!

And, Thanks to all of you who have so kindly supported me and taken so much time out of your own lives to write me (on and off the blog) and/or call me. You are truly appreciated and I am blessed to have such friends as you.

Free Clip-Art / Icons of the Day

The following images are either full or reduced size previews. Simply right-click (or control-click) on the preview to save the image(s) of your choice to your desktop. (Unless otherwise noted, downloads are 512px X 512px in .png format). As always, usage of any of the images offered on this blog are free for your personal use while subject to the limitations of my Creative Commons Non-Commercial – Attribution – No Derivatives – Share Alike- 3.0 license. (See sidebar for details)

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With the exception of IconDoIt’s images on products in her Zazzle store, which are specifically protected under U.S. Copyright law, or unless otherwise expressly stated, all original material of whatever nature, created by Leslie Sigal Javorek that is included on, linked to, or downloaded through the 'IconDoIt' Blog, feed, &/or any related pages including the Blog's archives, is licensed under my Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution, Share-Alike, Non-Commercial License.
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HEMOCHROMATOSIS

Hereditary Hemochromatosis (HFE) is a leading cause of iron overload disease. People with HFE absorb extra amounts of iron from the daily diet. The human body cannot rid itself of extra iron. Over time, these excesses build up in major organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas, joints and pituitary. If the extra iron is not removed, these organs can become diseased. Untreated hemochromatosis can be fatal.

Iron is an essential nutrient found in many foods. Iron carries oxygen (in hemoglobin) to all parts of the body. Normally, humans absorb about 8-10% of the iron in foods that they eat. People with HFE can absorb four times that amount. Individuals with hemochromatosis absorb too much iron from the diet. Iron cannot be excreted therefore the metal can reach toxic levels in tissues of major organs such as the liver, heart, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, and synovium (joints). These overburdened organs cease to function properly and eventually become diseased.

Therefore, undiagnosed and untreated HFE increases the risk for diseases and conditions such as diabetes mellitus, irregular heart beat or heart attack, arthritis (osteoarthritis, osteoporosis), cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer, depression, impotence, infertility, hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, and some cancers. Mismanaged iron in the brain is seen in those patients with neurodegenerative diseases: Alzheimer's, early onset Parkinson's, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease.